


The Tempest and the Phoenix

by Cheezbuckets



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Awkward Dates, Enemies to Lovers, First Time, Investigations, M/M, Roxas and Ventus Are Twins (Kingdom Hearts), Secret Relationship, Top Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21924310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheezbuckets/pseuds/Cheezbuckets
Summary: Roxas was relieved when supervillain Xehanort finally got put behind bars, until Red Phoenix, his least favourite of Xehanort's lackeys, appears with the information that Xehanort has broken out—and he wants to help—Roxas has to put aside his grudge. And, maybe, Red Phoenix will make it easier to like him than Roxas expected.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41
Collections: Secret Santa 2019





	The Tempest and the Phoenix

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thiskindalove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiskindalove/gifts).



Roxas scowled watching the red-haired man he only knew as Red Phoenix crossing the street. He silently willed the man to turn, to keep walking, to go anywhere else, then grimaced and released a disgruntled sigh. As he watched the man saunter to the front counter, he absently held his hand above his coffee and created a gentle swirl of air above the surface to cool it. Seeing the steam buffeted by the supernaturally-created breeze, he thought for a moment to try out something he’d thought about but hadn’t tried out; using smoke or steam and carefully controlled winds to make a picture or spell something in the air. He imagined a cloud of steam reading “FUCK OFF” floating above him for Red Phoenix to see should he turn, and he snorted at his thoughts before picking up his cup to take a drink. As if something like that would put off a man like him anyway.

Under his sleeve, Roxas could swear his arm itched where he bore a warped scar from taking a blast of fire.

Red Phoenix paid and received his drink with a polite smile and turned, took a few steps then faltered when his eyes met Roxas’. Under his weird tattoos, his cheeks turned red as he stared. Resisting the urge to shout a curse across the coffee shop, Roxas furrowed his brow.

Whirling around, Red Phoenix left the shop with long, quick strides, and Roxas let out a sigh before taking another sip. He almost wanted to question whether that actually was Red Phoenix running away like that, if he’d actually just scared away an innocent lookalike. In confrontations, Red Phoenix was all too happy to egg Roxas on, to gently annoy to the point of infuriation, and he certainly never backed down. But maybe that unnaturally redheaded man needed to have his coffee before he could be such a pain, and so decided to run away to make sure he was caffeinated enough for a confrontation. Or maybe he was aware that, now that his boss was behind bars—and a dozen other layers of security—getting in trouble would get him locked up as well.

The thought made Roxas smile to himself. He did hope he’d finally get a chance to get Red Phoenix locked away, but he had to concede a decent coffee shop like this wasn’t the place to get into a fight like that. He’d just have to wait and see whether Red Phoenix was up to pulling off his usual illegal activities without his boss directing him around.

-

Roxas sat in his usual spot at his usual time, but far more tense than usual now that the space had been discovered by someone he didn’t want to see. He hoped that Red Phoenix had the decency to stay away to avoid trouble, but he wasn’t hopeful, so he kept his eyes on the street outside.

His jaw tightened when he saw who he hoped not to. Red Phoenix noticed him as well, and their eyes locked, but Red Phoenix continued inside and got in line.

Roxas groaned under his breath and let himself look away long enough to rub his forehead. He thought of his phone in his pocket, of giving a quick warning to the group chat, but decided to wait and see if this could be quickly swept under the rug without trouble. Maybe Phoenix would just get his coffee and leave again. If things went down, well, one of the many bystanders would call for help and the rest of the group would find out anyway.

Facing his coffee, he kept an eye on Red Phoenix as he got to the front of the line, ordered, paid, got his drink, and turned to the tables.

When he saw Phoenix heading straight towards him, he looked up sharply, glaring. Though his hand visibly tensed against his cup, Phoenix didn’t stop, eyes locked somewhere behind Roxas. When he reached Roxas’ table, he stopped, shifting his weight to one side to pop out his hip, still avoiding meeting Roxas’ eyes. “Fancy meeting you here,” he muttered.

Roxas scowled. “You ran away from me yesterday.”

Phoenix shrugged uneasily.

“Doesn’t seem like you to be so nervous.”

Phoenix relaxed slightly as he snorted a short laugh and one side of his mouth curled up. “You only know Red Phoenix, not me. You seem exactly the same as ever, though.”

Shaking his head, Roxas sighed. “Do you want something, or are you just trying to irritate me, as per usual?”

Stiffening, Phoenix’s hands clenched as he cast a glance at Roxas before quickly looking away, becoming red again. “Well, uh, I’ve just got this...this message you should get.”

Roxas’ body tensed, leaning away warily.

Phoenix stood frozen for another second then shoved his hand in the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a folded piece of paper and throwing it on the table in front of Roxas. “Anyway, I’ll leave you alone,” he muttered and, turning on his heel, walked out of the shop even quicker than he had the day before.

Roxas let out a long breath, and his muscles relaxed again, allowing him to take a long drink of his coffee in an attempt to calm himself. He took a few slow breaths to steady himself before pulling the paper towards him and slowly, uneasily lifting it to read.

_Xehanort broke out of prison. I want to help. Please don’t tell anyone. Call my cell: XXX-XXX-XXXX_

Roxas’ mouth hung ajar as he read the note a second time. He flipped it over, not expecting yet hoping to see some hint of an admission of a joke, then turned it back to read it once again.

He closed his mouth to swallow then took a drink of his coffee before pulling his phone from his pocket. He skimmed over notifications of messages from the group, chatting about what they were doing that day, and thought again of telling them that he had seen Red Phoenix, but he sat still, staring at his screen until it auto-locked, then sighed and put it in his bag. As was usual, he wanted to deal with Red Phoenix himself to try to figure out what that asshole’s deal was, no need to get everyone else involved. He’d do it later, though, make Phoenix wait.

Besides, he knew it’d be a good idea to take a look and see whether Xehanort actually had broken out before humouring Phoenix. He grabbed the note and shoved it into his bag as well before leaning back in the chair, taking his time finishing his coffee.

He hardly realized that he was staring blankly at the far wall. It wasn’t like he’d never seen Phoenix’s face before—he wore a protective face mask and goggles, but he wasn’t adverse to taking them off to smirk and wink. It wasn’t like Xehanort’s lackeys worried about being identified what with Xehanort’s money and influence that seemed infinite—up until he went too far and couldn’t weasel his own way out of legal charges. However, he’d never seen Phoenix’s face up close like that. When Phoenix took off his mask in front of Roxas, there was usually little time to take in anything more than his tattoos and his grin. Roxas sighed and put his empty cup on the table before rubbing a hand across his brow. It figured the bad guys ended up being so hot.

Picking up his bag to sling the strap across his shoulders, he got up and dropped his coffee cup in a garbage can as he left. Walking out through the parking lot, he cast a quick glance around to make sure no one was staring before standing still and taking a deep breath, pulling the wind to him. He securely held onto his bag as his feet lifted off the pavement, and he flew up high enough to avoid drawing attention to himself. Though he was tempted to take his time just to make Phoenix wait longer, his chest was tight with anxiety to find out the truth, so he carried himself on the wind quickly then gently lowered himself back to the ground in an empty side road next to the apartment complex he lived.

Roxas sighed as he walked into the building, but the anxiety turned into a hard knot in his throat as he hurried up the flight of stairs to his floor.

In his apartment, he kicked off his shoes then went straight to his bedroom, dropping his bag onto the bed and pulling a lockbox from under his bed which opened with his fingerprint, letting him take out the laptop inside. Sitting on his bed, he took a deep breath as he turned it on, entered the passwords, and, feeling his heart start to beat faster, opened a program filled with recent police reports. As he searched for the location Xehanort had been imprisoned, the possibility of Red Phoenix telling the truth finally hit him, and his jaw tightened as his eyes skimmed the page.

He swore under his breath as his body tensed, reading the latest one. Closing the laptop and putting it beside him, he opened his bag, fumbling for a minute to pull out his phone and the rumpled note. He stared at the note again for a minute before tapping the number on his phone and lifting it to his ear.

After two rings, he heard a familiar yet tentative voice say, “Hello?”

Roxas hesitated and gulped, not sure what to say.

After a pause, Red Phoenix spoke again. “Tempest?”

Roxas exhaled and absently rubbed his head. “Yeah. Um...”

Phoenix sighed. “Thanks for calling.”

“Hm.” Squeezing his eyes shut, Roxas rubbed his hand across his cheek, trying to figure out what to say. “I wanted to check out what you said, make sure you were telling the truth.”

“I thought you probably would.” There was another awkward silence. “Did you talk to someone about it?” he asked quietly.

Roxas exhaled a quiet laugh. “No, I can find these things out on my own. Besides, if you were lying, I wanted to take care of you myself.”

Phoenix laughed. “Thanks, I’m flattered. Uh...” He went quiet again.

Smiling wryly as he shook his head, Roxas finally relaxed a bit. “Alright, well, you’ve got my attention, what do you want to do about Xehanort?”

He heard Phoenix inhale sharply, as if surprised. “Right... Uh, well, this is my personal phone, so there’s not much chance of someone on my side listening in on this, but all the same, I’d rather we talk about this in person. Can we meet up to talk? Somewhere we won’t be recognized.”

Roxas sighed and rubbed his neck. He didn’t like the idea of being recognized colluding with one of the bad guys himself. “Yeah, sounds good. Where did you have in mind?”

“There’s a library on Poplar Street that has some private study rooms at the back. As long as we look like we’re working on something, no one’s going to bother us.”

Roxas couldn’t help but snort. “Sounds like you’ve been thinking this through.”

“Are you free this afternoon?” Phoenix continued.

“Yeah.” Roxas smirked, amused Phoenix didn’t respond to and return the barb. Something about this situation had to have him out of sorts.

“Alright, uh, I’ll be there, so come down whenever you can.”

“Okay. I’ll see you there.” Hanging up, Roxas sighed, dropping his phone beside him and leaning back on his hands. He stared at a spot on his wall between the window and a picture frame. Xehanort had been possessing people to reach whatever ends he had long before Roxas had been born, and superpowered people much more powerful and experienced than Roxas were only able to actually get him locked up recently. Roxas himself had no direct experience with Xehanort, though his brother had, so he had heard a lot about him. If he was free again, that meant trouble, and if there weren’t going to be any public announcements about it, Roxas would tell the rest of his group of younger, less-experienced superpowered people about it so they could at the very least be in the loop.

With another sigh, he pushed himself up and tugged his shirt down before turning back to get his phone and toss it back into his bag, locking his laptop away again. He’d wait until after he got whatever extra information he could squeeze out of Phoenix, before sharing; he wanted to be the one to tell them everything he could instead of them finding out without him. He locked his apartment and left the complex before taking to the air again, trying to remember where bus stops were that could get him to Poplar Street.

There was absolutely no reason Red Phoenix would contact him in particular, other than the fact Red Phoenix seemed to relish messing with him in particular, so he was fully prepared to wreck an innocent library the moment he felt he was in for trouble.

Landing in an empty area about a block away from the bus stop, Roxas walked the rest of the way and checked over the posted schedule before standing at a slight distance from the filled bench, unlocking his phone. He’d rather fly the whole way, but if the whole point of going to an out-of-the way library was to avoid being recognized, there was no point in immediately drawing attention to himself. Maybe it’d get Phoenix mad right off the bat if whispers of “Tempest” (or, heaven forbid, “Typhoon”) followed him into the library. The wait was going to be boring, though, so he entertained himself with a game, stopping to get on the bus and fish out some change, then continued playing until he saw the bus was getting close to Poplar and its library.

His heart was beating hard again as he got off at the stop and put his phone away again, walking to the low, broad building. As he walked up the ramp to the door, he saw the unmistakable tall redhead through the glass door and froze for a moment as their eyes met. Brow furrowing, he took a breath, straightened his shoulders, then walked forward and pushed open the door.

Red Phoenix gave an awkward, crooked smile. “There you are. I made sure there’s an empty room for us. Come on.”

As he followed Phoenix towards the rows of shelves and the windowed rooms beyond, Roxas glanced at the librarian behind the desk, but she paid them no mind. He internally apologized to her for the mess he was expecting would result within the hour.

He tensed and slowed when Phoenix opened a door and walked into the empty room, but when Phoenix glanced nervously back at him, he sped back up, walking past him, glancing around to verify it was empty except for a round table with a few chairs. He kept his arms hanging loose at his sides, ready for the moment Phoenix made a move. Hearing the door close, he looked back.

“So, you’ve got me here, what do you want?” he asked, holding his voice even.

Phoenix seemed calmer than he had at the coffee shop, but he blushed when he met Roxas’ eyes. “I guess... For now, I’ll just give you the information I have on what Xehanort’s up to so you can do whatever it is you good guys do to deal with him.” His face became grim as his brow furrowed, hand resting on the back of a chair. “I’m serious, though, you can’t tell anyone I told you. That’s the only condition. No one can find out.”

Roxas finally took a step towards Phoenix, cocking an eyebrow. “Okay, seriously? Why the hell would you actually tell me any of that? I’m going to knock your ass straight through the window if this is some stupid trick to fuck with me. You going to try tricking me into telling you something to pass on to Xehanort or the rest of your pals?”

“No! You don’t—“ Hand tensing against the chair for a moment, Phoenix pulled a bag off his shoulder and put it on the table, pulling out a slim sheaf of paper and written notes. He stared at Roxas and gestured at them. “I’m dead serious about this! I want Xehanort locked back up as much as you do!”

Frowning, Roxas walked up to him, only casting the papers a short glance before staring Phoenix down. “Why should I believe you, huh? Why would I ever believe a word of Red Phoenix, the man who commits arson and robberies with a grin on his face, always ready to make fun of me?”

Phoenix’s eyes widened, face becoming red as he leaned away slightly. “We-well, you, I mean, it’s like I told you, you don’t know me. I’m not Red Phoenix right now, I’m...” Trailing off, he met Roxas’ eyes then licked his lips. “My real name’s Axel. I know I can be a bastard and I’ve done some shit, but Xehanort’s starting to expect mass killings. Red Phoenix can talk it up like he doesn’t care if people get hurt, but I’m not going to be a murderer for Xehanort.” Blushing, he broke eye contact and reached for the papers.

Roxas was stunned into silence for a minute. “Shit, I know he’s killed people before, but he’s going towards that again?”

Jaw tight, Phoenix—Axel?—shrugged. “Yeah. We’re not, you know, getting enough done for him lately, so he started pushing for bigger, more dramatic shit. And getting locked up really pushed him off the rails. Communication’s been pretty inconsistent since then, obviously, but he’s pretty livid and wants to make a bigger impact. There’s only so long I can avoid doing something huge and deadly before I’m going to get in deep shit with him and the others.”

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Roxas sighed and glanced down at the papers. “Alright. I don’t completely trust you yet, but I’ll see what you have to say. If it’ll keep people from getting hurt and help get Xehanort caught again.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bit of a smile flit across Axel’s face. “I can respect that.”

“Just one more question.” Roxas turned back to Axel, lifting his chin to compensate for the height difference, if only a little. Axel bit his lip and shrunk back a little, so Roxas pressed on and stepped closer, determined to get the truth for this. “Why me? I know you could have found pretty much anyone else on my side to talk to, so why’d you pick me? The guy you always fuck with? You obviously like the others better.”

Axel blushed again as he met Roxas’ eyes. “Huh? I don’t not like you. I probably like you better than the others.”

Roxas crosses his arms and frowned. “Then why do you always act like a jackass around me and only me?”

Becoming redder, Axel rubbed the back of his head. “I-I, uh... Look, the thing is, I don’t hate you, and I wanted to tell you about Xehanort because I trusted you not to immediately go around telling all your friends. You’re, you know, a bit more chill and independent than them.”

Roxas exhaled a soft laugh, a smile straying across his face. “I guess you’re right about that.” Shaking his head, he turned to the table and looked down at the stack of paper, reaching to pick them up. “Alright, then, tell me what this all is.”

Axel sighed and smiled, putting a hand on the table to lean over and gesture at the top page.

-

Holding his bag to secure the laptop inside, Roxas jogged along the pathway and up the stairs into the library, far more eager than he had been last week. Seeing him, Axel smiled. “Maybe I shouldn’t come here so early if you’re always going to make me wait.”

Smirking, Roxas rolled his eyes and walked past him, heading again to the study rooms. Axel followed close behind him. “Maybe.” He waited until they reached the room, sitting down and putting his bag on the table, and Axel closed the door. “I have to take the bus, so it’s not like I can get here any faster.”

“You don’t drive?” Axel asked, taking a seat next to Roxas, angled so they mostly faced each other.

Raising an eyebrow, Roxas shrugged. “My brother and I can fly, so why should we spend all that time and money on driving? But I don’t want to just fly over the library and let everyone nearby know who I am, so I have to use a more mundane form of travel.”

“Oh. Makes sense.” Axel leaned over, reaching into his own bag.

Sliding his laptop out of his bag, Roxas raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you should drive me if you don’t want to wait. Would save me time and bus fare.”

The table suddenly lurched, and Roxas looked over as Axel swore, cradling one hand in the other, face becoming red. “Ow, fuck,” he muttered then glanced at Roxas. “You, uh, trust me that much already?”

Roxas laughed. “No, but if you try to hurt me, I’d fight back, and we’d end up driving into something, so we’d both be fucked. Maybe you’re too dumb to think of that for yourself, though, so maybe I shouldn’t trust you.” Smirking, he raised an eyebrow.

Axel leaned over again so Roxas couldn’t see his face until he sat back up with some paper notes in hand, his eyes trained down. “I guess,” he murmured, blushing darkly.

Roxas couldn’t help but laugh again. “You can drive me home today, as a test. I just have to say you really are nothing like the Red Phoenix I’m used to, Axel. Red Phoenix would never just quietly accept me insulting him, so this is pretty weird for me.”

Axel shrugged, tapping the paper against the table to neaten the pile. “Like I told you, Red Phoenix and I aren’t the exact same person.”

“Hm, so you use your evil alter ego to let out all your inner assholery, but in real life you’re just shy and bumbling?”

“Only around you,” Axel muttered. Roxas’ eyebrows shot up as Axel cleared his throat. “I don’t have as much information as last-“

“No, hang on,” Roxas interrupted then laughed. “I’m not letting that drop. Only around me?” He cocked an eyebrow. “What, do I make you nervous when you’re not Red Phoenix?”

“A little,” Axel muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not used to being face-to-face with you like this and trying to work together and shit.”

“Hm, so, when we’re Red Phoenix and Tempest, you’re the asshole, but when we’re Axel and Roxas, it’s my turn to antagonize you.” Roxas smirked and leaned against the table. “I might like this.”

Smiling, Axel bit his lip then glanced at Roxas. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d get mad if I asked for your real name, but you told me on your own.”

Roxas looked at his laptop, feeling his face become a little warm, and shrugged. “Does it really matter? Especially if you’re going to drive me around. What could you even do with my name?”

Axel shrugged, smiling and looking at the table. “Anyway, we should talk about why we came here, shouldn’t we?”

Taking in a deep breath, Roxas sat up straight and pulled his laptop closer, opening it. “Yeah, I guess we should.” He looked back at Axel with a crooked smile. It was one thing that Red Phoenix was just good-looking, it was something entirely else that Axel wasn’t unbearable to be around and was incredibly cute when he blushed. Even if it didn’t exactly break the bank that he met the bare minimum of human decency to not want to kill people.

Roxas scooted his chair a bit closer to Axel to read his notes on what he’d heard from Xehanort in the past week, opening a file on his laptop to write it all down.

-

Roxas drummed his fingers at the edge of his desk, his other hand laying on his cell phone, eyes flicking back and forth over the screen of his laptop from the file of notes to the map he’d made to track Xehanort’s movements.

When he caught up to Xehanort’s last known whereabouts, he sighed and looked at the group chat, the last messages an hour ago from the others talking about an old movie Naminé had just watched for the first time. It had been a couple days since they had any serious conversations about crime or their powers, and over a week since Roxas had talked in there as much as usual. He felt a bit bad about it, but he was always too distracted to think of something to say. He wanted to tell them, but how would he explain why he even found out? The only place there was any information was in the single confidential report from the prison. They all had not-exactly-legal access to police reports and the like so they could keep themselves in the loop, and if he was the only one checking up on Xehanort, what would they think? What would he do with all the information Axel had given him that he had no rational way to know? They’d have questions, and if he didn’t have answers, he didn’t know what they’d think of him.

On top of that, he knew from the report that Eraqus had been informed of Xehanort’s escape, which made it likely that Terra and Aqua knew as well, and if they had not told Ventus before Roxas did, he would be, not unreasonably, upset that they’d kept it from him. Roxas didn’t want to be the cause of conflict between Ventus and the people who were closer to him than Roxas was. Things always got a bit weird and complicated when it came to the twin he had only known for a few years, but this felt like an easy decision.

He thought about telling Naminé privately; she of everyone would respect his need to keep a secret and not tell anyone until necessary, but he didn’t want to put his burden on her, especially since he couldn’t tell even her about his meetings with Axel.

He looked at the map again. Xehanort was still too far away for him or the others to have to worry about. When he got closer, Roxas would tell them all so they could do something about it, since clearly no one else was doing enough to get him caught again. He wished Red Phoenix could have reached out to anyone else with more power to do something.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and picked up his cell phone, opening the sparse messages between him and Axel.

Have I told you how stressful it is to know all this shit?  
  


Pushing away from his desk, he closed his laptop, and got it locked back up under his bed. When he picked up his phone again, Axel had responded.

lol how do you think I feel?  
  


Axel was still typing, so Roxas sighed and sat back down.

You wanna meet up to talk about this shit?  
  


Roxas laughed and shook his head. It was only in person that Axel turned awkward, even over the phone he was still bold. He grinned as he typed.

Sure. As long as we don’t talk about this shit   
  


He could almost see Axel blushing as the typing indicator popped up for a second or two then vanished for several seconds. He really enjoyed getting back at him for acting like an asshole as Red Phoenix. He tried not to think too much about the fact that he really did want to see Axel again. Maybe only to have someone he could talk about Xehanort with, even if he didn’t want to do that, but maybe just to look at him and listen to him talk.

Finally, Axel replied.

Want me to pick you up?  
  


Roxas felt his smile growing.

Yea. I’ll get ready and be where you dropped me off.  
Don’t keep me waiting   
K  
  


Roxas laughed. It was entirely too much fun to tease Axel. He got up, taking off his sweat pants and changing into clean jeans. He decided that, since he didn’t want to talk pointlessly about Xehanort, he would instead try pushing at Axel a little more, maybe see if he could find out why Red Phoenix was such an asshole, maybe see why Axel worked for Xehanort if he was so ready to betray him, maybe just tease him more.

Determined to beat Axel to their meet-up spot so he could complain about having to wait this time, he quickly put his phone in his pocket, pulled on socks, paused a moment to run a brush through his hair once or twice in vain, then walked quickly to the door to get his shoes on and leave.

He waved to one of his neighbours as he left the complex then walked quickly to the street, feeling wind pushing at his back. When he reached the corner he had Axel drop him off at last time, he made himself stop grinning and took a few deep breaths to calm himself and the wind that was swirling around him.

When he was no longer unintentionally creating wind, he pulled out his phone. Feeling a bit more relaxed, he sent a quick, “We need to have a movie night some time” to the group chat before opening up a game to occupy himself and to keep himself calm, though it didn’t stop him from periodically glancing at the road whenever he heard a car.

When he recognized a red car approaching, he hastily kept his eyes trained down on the screen until it slowed to a stop in front of him. After a deliberate hesitation, he locked his phone and stuffed it back in his pocket before opening the door and leaning over. “Thought I told you not to make me wait,” he said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. He saw Axel blushing as he got into the passenger seat.

“Sorry, next time I’ll break as many laws as possible so I can pick you up faster,” Axel said calmly, facing straight ahead.

Roxas laughed. “Hey, you’re fighting back a bit.”

Axel’s lips twitched into a smile, and he looked back at Roxas with a raised eyebrow. “I’m getting used to this. Don’t push it, though. I can still set things on fire.”

“Tough guy!” Roxas laughed again then turned to buckle himself in. “So, where are you taking me?”

“Uh...” Axel rubbed the back of his head. “Where do you want to go? There’s a park next to the library if you don’t want to talk about, you know, things we shouldn’t discuss in public.”

“Sounds fine to me.”

Sighing just loudly enough for Roxas to hear, Axel pulled back out into the street. “So why do you want to just hang out with me today?”

Roxas shrugged, looking out at the houses passing them. “You suggested meeting up, but I’m tired of thinking about Xehanort, so, I don’t know, I just suggested it without really thinking about it.” He smiled crookedly. “Maybe we can just get to know each other since we’re working together.” He glanced back at Axel with a smirk. “Getting to know you as someone who’s not awful might give me the motivation not to rat you out as soon as Xehanort’s back in prison.”

Axel laughed, ducking his chin a bit. “I guess I should have thought that through. I...I’d like it if I could get you to stop hating me, though.”

Laughing as well, Roxas shook his head. “Maybe you should have thought through how you were acting if you didn’t want me to hate you. I mean, I still wouldn’t like you as long as you were up to your criminal acts, but I wouldn’t have hated you so much if you weren’t such a smug asshole every time you talked to me.”

Becoming rather red again, Axel smiled and bit his lip. “I didn’t really know how else to act around you.”

“Why me and no one else?” Roxas pressed, enjoying how much Axel was blushing, even if his own face felt warm as well.

Axel bit his lip harder, eyes trained on the road again.

Roxas waited in silence for a minute then grinned and reached out to give Axel’s shoulder a light shove. “Hm, should I start guessing?” His own face was getting hotter, but at the same time, he was barely resisting the urge to laugh.

“Oh my god, now I know how you feel when I’m being a jerk to you,” Axel grumbled, lifting one hand to run across his face before setting it back on the steering wheel, knuckles white. “Uh, fuck.” He sighed. “Do I really have to say it at this point?”

“I’d sure like to hear it.” Roxas bit his lip, staring at Axel’s blushing face.

“Hm.” Axel went silent again then took a deep breath. “Maybe I‘ve had a bit of a crush on you.”

Roxas smiled and turned his face down to his own lap. “Figures I attract a bad boy. So that’s why you actually came to me with Xehanort.” He shot Axel a smirk.

Axel shrugged, a faint smile on his face. “Well, I did trust you. I know some of the others are pretty much inseparable, so I figured they’d probably tell each other. You’re the one I sort of knew the best who I thought I had the best chance of not telling all their friends. The fact I kinda like you was just a coincidence.”

“Hm, so it figures that I’m the one who gets us on our first date.” He watched with pleasure as Axel’s eyes widened and his face turned as red as Roxas had ever seen. “What about my brother? You have a crush on him?”

“I didn’t even realize there were two of you at first.” Axel laughed, and Roxas had to as well. That was nothing new to him. “I saw him a couple years before you, and I thought he was cute, but it was just the one time. When I moved out here, I met you and I started sort of crushing on you, then I found out there were twin heroes with wind powers and I had to figure out which one was the one I liked. I mean, I’ve only seen him a couple times, but I think I could tell you two apart even though you look so alike. Whose idea was it to have the same hairstyle, by the way?”

Roxas self-consciously patted the top of his head, again trying fruitlessly to tame the spikes. “It wasn’t anyone’s idea exactly, it’s just what our hair does. It flattens out when it’s longer, but both of us just like to keep our hair short, so we’re stuck looking like this.”

“I think it’s cute,” Axel murmured. “Anyway, maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like I would know which one of you I was talking to.”

Roxas chuckled. “I don’t know whether or not to make a situation to test that.”

Chuckling, Axel cringed. “Please don’t. I want you to keep liking me.”

“Hm, let’s see how that goes.” Roxas felt fleeting disappointment when Axel pulled into the parking lot in front of the library, but then he reminded himself that he’d be able to look Axel in the eye while they talked. “But that’s enough about me. I want to ask about you.” He shot Axel a grin before opening the door and getting out, just to make Axel nervous by waiting. He looked at the side of the library and spotted a path leading to an open grassy area with benches and trees that he hadn’t noticed the last two times, so he headed towards it.

Axel easily reached his side to walk next to him. “Should I be nervous?”

“Depends what dark secrets you have.” Slipping his hands into his pockets, Roxas grinned up at Axel. Then his smile fell and he looked ahead again. “I know I said I didn’t want to talk about Xehanort, but I have been wondering.” He looked around to make sure there weren’t people around to overhear them before pointing to a bench before heading for it to sit, and Axel followed, face a bit grim and pale suddenly.

Leaning forward, Roxas set his chin on his palm, and watched Axel sit across from him. “Maybe this is a bit of an obvious question, but if you’re ready to betray him as soon as he starts getting too violent, even though you’re still afraid of him and the others you work with, why did you start working for Xehanort?”

Axel sighed heavily, resting his arms across each other on the table, looking silently down at the table for a minute. Lips pulling into a tense smile, he finally met Roxas’ eyes again. “I was an angry, troubled teenager who had a lot of problems stemming from his powers.” He moved one hand to lay palm-up between him and Roxas, and Roxas watched a tiny flame flicker into life on his skin. “I won’t guess what you’ve been through with your powers, but I’d still bet you really can’t know what it’s like to be able to do nothing but destroy with it.” Sighing again, he closed his hand and pulled it closer to him again. “Whatever. Uh, the point is, I started committing petty crimes on my own and ended up in jail once or twice before Xehanort picked me up. With my criminal record and aggressive nature, I figured this was a great opportunity. But I’ve grown up over the years, I’ve gotten to know what kind of people do these things and what that means about me. Maybe I’m in too deep to live a ‘normal’ life, but I’ve got to draw a line in the sand somewhere, and mass murder is pretty far past that line.”

He leaned back suddenly with a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, that was embarrassing.” Brow furrowed, he grinned crookedly.

Softly laughing, Roxas shook his head. “Well, would you look at this villain with a sad back story.”

“Pretty pathetic, huh?” Axel laughed.

“I didn’t say that.” With a sigh, Roxas leaned away as well, rubbing the back of his neck, then leaned against the table again. “Well, I know quite a bit about you now, don’t I? You had a hard life that turned you into a career criminal, and you have a crush on me. That’s just two things, but it feels like a hell of a lot.”

Axel smiled at his lap for a moment, then he leaned forward again and met Roxas’ eyes. “What? Are you going to tell me more about yourself in exchange?”

Laughing again, Roxas cocked an eyebrow. “I could do that, I guess. Depends what you want to know.”

Blushing anew, Axel looked down at the table, glanced up at Roxas, then hastily looked back down. “Well, what I’d like to know most of all right now,” he murmured, “is if...if, you know, you’re into men, and, more, if you’re into...me.”

Flushing as well, Roxas laughed again, quietly. His fingers tapped the table without rhythm. “Men? Yes. You?” He grinned as he shrugged. “I could be convinced.”

Once again, Axel’s face was red. “That’s better than I could’ve hoped for, to be honest.” He lowered his voice. “Honestly, I knew nothing could happen between Red Phoenix and Tempest, so that’s...that’s mostly why I always acted like a jerk to you. I didn’t know how to handle the fact that I was in front of someone I liked but there was no chance of us ever even just getting properly acquainted.” He smiled again. “Unless, of course, something happened that’d give me a push to reach out to the good guys.”

“Lucky you.” Roxas hesitated a minute then stood up to reach across the table and touch Axel’s cheek. “I never would have thought Red Phoenix really could get so red,” he murmured, leaning in and grinning.

Axel stiffened, lips parted, staring into Roxas’ eyes. His lips twitched then turned into a smile, and he ducked his head, laughing, lifting a hand to cover the lower half of his face. “Okay, you’re just being cruel.”

Roxas laughed as well, resisting the urge to touch Axel’s hair. “I am. I see why Red Phoenix always acts like a jerk; it’s pretty fun.”

-

Yelling in surprise, Roxas covered his head as some popcorn pelted him.

“This was a great idea! I’m so glad you suggested this, Rox!”

Shaking popcorn off his hair, Roxas sighed and resisted the urge to laugh as he looked behind him. “Sora!”

“Riku and another one of me will be right in with more popcorn.” Sora grinned and threw a couple pieces at Kairi before sitting down on the couch beside her.

“You’re such a pest!” Kairi laughed, taking the popcorn out of her hair and throwing it back at Sora.

“That’s not what I meant.” Roxas laughed. “I just had a shower before coming here, and you throw food in my hair?”

“Just making sure you’re your usual self.” Sora smiled and shrugged and ate a piece of popcorn. “We haven’t heard much from you in a while before you suggested movie night, so I was getting worried, but you seem completely fine.”

“I am fine, thanks.” Roxas rolled his eyes. “I was just a bit busy.”

“Busy with what?” Roxas looked back again, at the clone of Sora entering the door with another bowl of popcorn that he gave to Ventus, sitting in the recliner. Riku was right behind him and handed another bowl to Roxas and Naminé who sat together on the love seat before sitting on the other side of Sora on the couch.

Roxas felt a blush creep up his face as the second Sora leaned over the first, both looking at him intently. He looked around, and everyone was looking back at him, expectantly. His heart was pounding and, despite himself, a smile tugged at his mouth. “Well, uh... I kind of maybe...met this guy...”

He bit his lip as he heard a gasp across the room. Naminé squeezed his shoulder with a big smile on her face. “Roxas! That’s so exciting!”

“Tell us about him!” both of the Soras cried in unison.

“Don’t talk at the same time,” Riku scolded with a smile, and the Sora behind the couch shimmered then turned into a mist that faded into Sora seated on the couch.

Roxas smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “Come on, guys, we should get the movie started, shouldn’t we?”

“Come on, Roxas! You can’t tease us like that!” Sora bounced to the edge of the couch, so Kairi took the bowl of popcorn from him before he could spill it.

“You have to tell your brother if you’re dating someone, right? I came all this way so I could hang out with you guys, so you’ve got to tell me now before I go all the way back home!” Ventus insisted. “How did you meet? What’s he like?”

Roxas hummed and rolled his head to one side. “If you insist...” Naminé squeezed his shoulder, and he finally released a laugh. “Okay, well...” He’d prepared for this, and it was strangely exciting to come clean, even if it was only about half of the situation. “We met at the coffee shop a few weeks ago. Didn’t really talk much, but he gave me his number, so I called him, and he asked me out.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I wasn’t really sure about him at first, but we’ve texted and met up a few more times, then last week when I suggested this movie night, he and I went to a park and talked about life, and I think I’m kind of starting to really fall for him.”

Naminé leaned in to give him a hug. “Aw, Roxas, that’s so sweet!”

“What’s he like?” Kairi asked, repeating Ventus’ question.

Roxas bit his lip and shrugged. “Well, he’s tall, dark, and handsome. He’s pretty shy, and he’s unbelievably cute when I make him blush.”

“When are you going to introduce him to your friends and your brother?” Ventus asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow.

Roxas laughed, glad he’d thought of everything. “Come on, we’ve hardly known each other a month. Besides, like I said, he’s shy, and no offence, but you guys can be kind of overbearing.”

As Sora whined a, “What?” Riku laughed, “You have a point.”

“I’m just saying, Sora, he knows I have a twin, but can you imagine what it’d be like if you got too excited and not only did he see two versions of me coming up to him but more than one version of you? He’d be a bit freaked out.”

“Does he know about your powers?” Ventus said, suddenly serious.

Smiling, Roxas nodded. “Yeah, he knows all about that. He knew about Tempest before he knew me, but he’s super cool with it.”

“Good, that’s an important trait in a man,” Kairi teased with a wink.

Roxas grinned as Naminé playfully ruffled his hair. “Yeah, it’s always nice to meet someone and not have to worry about him freaking out over the whole ‘superhero’ thing. Especially when he’s hot.” Biting his lip again, he ducked his head. “Anyway, enough about my personal life, we still have a movie that Naminé needs to see.”

Sora sighed dramatically but still grinned. “Alright. But you’ve got to tell us more about him, alright? Let us know when you’re going on dates so we don’t bother you during them and can ask you all about it after.” He winked as mist drifted from him and formed into another Sora that ran to get the remote.

-

Hey sunshine  
  


Roxas grinned, biting his lip. Ever since Axel had asked, and Roxas had given him permission, Axel had liberally peppered their communication with pet names, and it made Roxas’ heart race.

What's up?  
  


He waited patiently, watching the little dots, no longer listening to the television.

Just wanted to let you know a couple friends and I are gonna be hanging out around city hall this afternoon, probably around 3. Thought maybe you and your friends could stop by.   
  


Roxas’ smile fell and his brow furrowed. He thought about asking for clarification, but out of habit, they both tended to stay cryptic when texting. Axel had told him he didn’t really have friends, they were hard to make and keep in his line of work. Which meant...

Roxas exhaled a laugh and shook his head, grinning once again as he replied.

Sounds like fun! I’ll let them know and see you there!   
Thnx babe! See you!  
  


Laughter building up, Roxas replied with a kiss emoji before leaving the messages and opening the group chat and sending, “Hey guys, I was out, and I saw Dahlia lurking around city hall. Maybe it’s nothing, but I just got a bad feeling. We should probably keep an eye out.”

Within minutes, there was a chorus of agreement, and Roxas had to put his phone down to fold over in half, laughing. There were benefits to dating one of the bad guys, and, at the same time, there was an intense illicit thrill in secretly colluding with one of the bad guys who didn’t want to be a bad guy. He was going to have to give Axel hell for this coy heads-up, but he also wanted to kiss him for it. The thought branded his cheeks with heat, but, all the same, he really wanted to do it.

-

Roxas was breathing hard, blasting wind to blow away both the branches that lashed out towards him and Sora and the blasts of fire. Dahlia stood under the tree, in the corner of Roxas’ vision, simultaneously fending off the four versions of Sora who kept him occupied while Riku and Kairi had their hands full with keeping Savage Lightning away from the building. Her name had always seemed a little too on-the-nose to Roxas, but it certainly was an honest warning.

A barely-contained grin hovered on his face as Red Phoenix danced around in a flurry of flames. Though he could feel the heat and sweat from both that and the exertion rolling down his face and back, Phoenix’s aim seemed a little more off than usual, and Roxas wasn’t sure he even needed to be blocking him. A stray thought made him wish Ventus was in town so he could put Axel to the test in telling them apart.

With every second that passed, security in city hall got tightened and police backup got closer, so, as was usual since Xehanort’s imprisonment, it was only a matter of time before the bad guys were forced to turn tail and slip back into hiding.

The force of a blow from the tree smashing into his wall of air knocked Roxas back half a step, enough for another branch to breach a momentary crack in Roxas’ defences. Even disoriented from the blow, he instinctively created a cushion of air to break his fall, and he rolled a few feet from where he landed as a suddenly large ball of fire blazed over him and scorched the branches that still grew to pursue Roxas.

“Careful, Tempest!” Red Phoenix called, and even with the goggles and mask, Roxas could imagine his grin. “I have a weakness for men on their knees!” Fire hovered at his shoulders, and Roxas wondered how he’d never noticed how the flames made his hair flow and dance among them.

Roxas finally couldn’t resist his grin. Hearing a shout, he saw one of the Soras take a hit from the tree Dahlia controlled, so he paused and focused a gust of wind to snap off that bough before returning his focus on Red Phoenix coming towards him. “What a coincidence, that’s my weakness as well.” Inhaling sharply, his eyes flickered down to Red Phoenix’s legs, and pushed a short, powerful gust at his shins. As Phoenix fell forward with a grunt, Roxas used another gust to quickly get to his feet before another hit Phoenix in the back to keep him down. “I might like you better on your face like this.”

As the strain forced him to stop holding Phoenix down, he returned quickly to where he’d been, defending Sora from the tree the best he could before Dahlia resumed attacking him as well. He had to divert his attention again when he felt the heat of flames returning. He couldn’t stop grinning as his heart pounded. He wished he could’ve knocked off the goggles and mask obscuring Axel’s face from view.

Over the sound of wind and fighting, he heard approaching sirens then Dahlia swearing. Likely on cue, Red Phoenix dashed past Roxas at the same moment fire erupted from the tree, forcing the Soras to scramble away while Dahlia ran the other way. Closer to the building, a couple shrubs suddenly shot branches towards Riku and Kairi, and Riku hastily created a wall of darkness to stop them but also blocked Savage Lightning from view, and when he let it fall, she was gone.

Breathing hard, Roxas quickly rubbed a hand across his mouth to hide his grin, creating a more appropriately serious expression. He walked over to Sora who brought his forms back together into one, cringing and rubbing his shoulder. “You alright?” Roxas asked.

“As sore as four different people in a fight can be. You?”

“Less sore than that,” Roxas said with a laugh.

Sora grinned then looked over his shoulder and hurried over to check on Riku and Kairi as the area lit up with flashing lights.

Following Sora to get away from the blazing tree as he heard shouts of firefighters getting hoses, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out.

Hey babe you wanna meet up tonight? I feel like I owe you dinner.  
  


Unable to resist, Roxas laughed out loud.

“What’s going on?” Sora called back at him.

Roxas laughed again, smiling fondly at his phone. “I have a date tonight.”

The trio all laughed. “He has some timing, doesn’t he?” Riku chuckled.

“Sure does.”

Pick me up in about an hour?  
Sounds good. You wanna come over to my place?  
  


Roxas’ heart skipped a beat.

Sure. Can’t wait!  
  


He put his phone back in his pocket, looking back as the police approached the group. It was the usual, boring process of telling the police all about what had happened, who had started the fight, explaining that, no, of course none of them set the entire tree on fire—one of the criminals can create fire with his mind, remember? It was always tedious, but now Roxas really wished they could just hurry up and get it over with so he could get home and get ready.

When the police finally left with some half-hearted scolding to try to avoid destroying public property in the future, Roxas immediately took to the air. “I’m going home. Talk to you guys later, okay?”

The trio laughed and waved. “Tell us how it went when it’s over!” Sora called as Roxas flew up above the buildings.

Roxas laughed, breath snatched by the wind. He didn’t have much time, but he needed to take a quick shower. Seeing his apartment complex approaching below him, he slowly, carefully lowered himself so his feet touched the ground and he immediately jogged to the door. He was starting to wish he told Axel to give him a bit longer, but, at the same time, if Axel couldn’t wait to ask him out, Roxas couldn’t wait to get picked up.

As soon as he got in his apartment, he headed to the bathroom and threw off the strong, padded clothes he had when he could prepare for a fight and hurried into the shower. He winced when the hot water ran over him and looked at the shoulder where he’d been hit. “Fuck,” he muttered, softly rubbing the blossoming bruise and the scrape down the middle. His shirt wasn’t ripped, so Dahlia must’ve hit him hard enough to split the skin. Shaking his head, he carefully washed the area and hurried to finish cleaning himself of sweat and dust and debris from the tree.

Finished, he threw a towel on top of his hair and vigorously rubbed his body dry and went to his bedroom and found clean underwear and a nice shirt and pair of jeans. Once he was dressed, he glanced at his phone and hurried rubbing his hair with the towel and going to the mirror, brushing his hair, smiling as Axel’s comment calling the unruly spikes cute spun in his head.

He paused to take a deep breath, grinning at his reflection, then hurried back to the door to get his shoes and jacket and jog out and down the hall. As soon as he got outside, he saw Axel’s car in the parking lot, and his grin grew as he sprinted to it, opening the door and slipping in.

“You kept me waiting,” Axel teased, winking.

Roxas winked back. “You were the one in a rush to have a date after our first big fight.”

Axel grinned as he started his car and pulled out of the parking lot. “We’ve fought plenty before, was this one really so special since we’re dating now?”

“I think so.” Relaxing into the seat, Roxas looked at Axel’s profile. He noticed on his cheek, where Roxas knew there was a gap between Axel’s mask and goggles, a long, thin scratch. He smiled and cocked an eyebrow. “Did I get you there?”

“Hm?” Axel looked over at him, so Roxas pointed to his cheek. “Oh.” Axel touched a hand to the scratch and laughed. “Yeah, you got me there. It’s always a little extra dangerous to fight you when Marluxia’s kicking up splinters. You make enough sharp bits of debris on your own.”

With a soft sigh, Roxas relaxed a little more and finally noticed the adrenaline that had been fuelling him since the fighting started, how his heart was still beating a bit too fast. “So, why do you owe me dinner? You didn’t land any hits on me, but I certainly got some on you.”

Blushing, Axel shrugged. “Just feel a bit guilty about the whole situation.” He laughed and flashed a grin. “Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to have a little tussle with you again, but I’m sorry you and your friends got knocked around a bit for pretty much nothing.”

Leaning over, Roxas nudged Axel with an elbow, grinning. “Unless the whole thing was your idea, you did me and them a favour by giving us a heads-up. Though we did get in trouble for that precious public tree burning.”

Axel laughed. “See? I have something to apologize for. Let me make you dinner.”

“Oh, you’d better, I never said I didn’t want a free dinner.”

“Good, because it’s already in the oven.”

Roxas’ grin softened into a smile. “I can’t wait.” His heart pounded even harder as he reached out to put his hand on top of Axel’s. He fell in love with the warmth as Axel’s hand turned to fold around his.

As Axel slowed the car and turned into the parking lot of an apartment building, Roxas leaned forward a bit to see it better. “Home sweet home, I guess,” Axel said softly, smiling as he drove into a parking spot.

“Can’t wait to see what kind of supervillain lair you keep.” Shooting Axel a grin, Roxas let go of his hand to get out of the car.

Axel laughed as he got out and walked to Roxas’ side. “Wanna see my torture chamber first?” As Roxas laughed, he watched Axel blush again before reaching out his hand and tentatively holding Roxas’.

Roxas squeezed Axel’s hand. “What kind of things you got in there? Anything kinky?”

Axel bit his lip and blushed darker then shrugged as he pulled out his keys and led Roxas into the building then to the elevator. “Depends on what you’re into,” he finally muttered, smile hovering on his face.

“It’s up to me, hm?” Roxas licked then bit his lip.

“Hm.”

As soon as the elevator door opened, Axel quickly lead Roxas out and down the hall until he unlocked a door and let Roxas inside. Letting go of Axel’s hand, Roxas took off his shoes then jacket, wincing a bit as his arm throbbed, and hung it up on a hook by the door.

Axel leaned over him suddenly, brow furrowed. “Are you okay? I didn’t ask...”

Though startled for a moment, Roxas smiled and rubbed his arm. “That hit Dahlia got on me is going to be pretty sore for a while, but I’m fine, I’ve had worse.”

Axel smiled again. “I bet you have.” His eyes strayed down Roxas’ arm, then his smile fell. “Shit.” Roxas looked where Axel was looking and sighed, turning slightly to give Axel a better view. Axel’s brow furrowed as he put a hand under Roxas’ arm to lift it and placed the other on top of the scar. “I did that one, didn’t I?”

Roxas sighed, smiling wryly and shaking his head. “You sure did, you walking fire hazard.” He lifted his free hand to cup Axel’s cheek. “Don’t tell me the guilt’s hitting you now, because it’s a bit late.”

Axel laughed, biting his lip again. “If you insist.”

“I really do.” Roxas pulled his arm away from Axel’s hands and put his other hand on the other side of Axel’s head, pulling his face down closer. As a blush yet again bloomed over Axel’s cheeks, his lips parting slightly, Roxas smiled and ran a hand through Axel’s hair. “If only you could’ve started your second-guessing sooner, huh? Think of all the scrapes we could’ve missed out on and all the kissing we could’ve done instead.”

Closing his eyes, he leaned forward, gently pressing their lips together. He felt Axel moan softly and press into him, placing his hands on Roxas’ hips. Opening his mouth, Roxas pushed against the back of Axel’s head and moaned before pulling away with a soft gasp for breath. Axel moved one hand from Roxas’ hip to cup his jaw.

After a moment of staring into Axel’s eyes, Roxas smiled. “How much time do we have until dinner?”

Axel laughed breathlessly. “Depends on what you want to do. I don’t really care if it burns to a crisp right now.”

Roxas laughed and impulsively pulled Axel into another kiss. “Maybe don’t do that.” Keeping one hand in Axel’s hair, he wrapped the other arm around his shoulders. “I know I asked about your torture room, but can you show me your bedroom instead?”

“I’m afraid they’re the same,” Axel said, flashing a grin.

Bursting out laughing, Roxas took a step away, grabbing Axel’s hand. “That _is_ kinky!” He gave Axel’s arm a tug. “Are you going to show me?”

Axel suddenly stepped forward, putting a hand on the back of Roxas’ head, and kissed him again. “Absolutely,” he whispered before turning away, holding Roxas’ hand tight to lead him away from the front door.

Roxas unconsciously held his breath as he stepped into the room, subtly looking around to try to take in everything in this private space. Simple framed charcoal drawings hung on the walls, a mirror sat atop a dresser scattered with personal items, the bed was covered in a plaid comforter and a collection of random pillows sat at the head and on the floor beside the bed.

His eyes were drawn back up as Axel turned around. Lifting his arms, he wrapped them around Axel’s shoulder to pull him down, back into another kiss, slower, deeper. Axel’s arms slipped around his waist, hands pressing against his back. With a moan, Roxas let his arms fall from Axel’s shoulders, trailing his hands down his chest to the hem of his shirt then pushing up to trail his fingers over Axel’s warm stomach.

Without breaking the kiss, Axel gently guided Roxas towards the bed. Pushing up Axel’s shirt to rest his palm against his bare waist, Roxas broke the kiss to catch his breath. Axel pulled up Roxas’ shirt in the back and bit his lip for a moment, smiling. “Do you want to go all the way right now?” he whispered.

Roxas smiled back and nodded. “Yeah, I do.” He chuckled and moved both hands up Axel’s sides, lifting his shirt more. “Do you?”

Axel laughed under his breath and moved a hand back to Roxas’ head. “Yes,” he murmured, kissing Roxas again. “Yes,” he mumbled against Roxas’ lips.

Roxas hungrily returned the kiss before pulling away again and giving Axel’s shirt a yank up. Grinning, Axel took a step back and pulled his shirt off over his head, tossing it aside. Biting his lip, Roxas stepped forward to touch and kiss Axel’s bare chest, but Axel stopped him by grabbing his shirt as well, so Roxas lifted his arms to let him take it off. Deciding to embrace and enjoy the height difference, he pressed his hands to Axel’s abs and licked and kissed his chest, teasing over his nipples, then trailed his fingertips down to the waist of Axel’s pants, easing open the button, slowly pushing them down.

Breathing hard, Axel put his hands on Roxas’ hips, rubbing circles with his thumbs. Roxas looked up with a smile. “Want to lay down?”

Axel kissed him as reply before stepping back, laying down with a crooked grin, pushing his thumbs under the waist of his pants. “Want to help with these?”

Roxas’ smile grew as he nodded and leaned over, gripping Axel’s jeans and, biting his lip, pulling them down and staring as he exposed Axel’s long, lean legs. “How are you so hot?” he whispered, running his hands up Axel’s thighs to his hips.

Axel smirked. “Take your pants off and get down here and kiss me.”

“You’re getting bossy now?” Quickly dropping his pants, Roxas climbed onto the bed on top of Axel. He placed his hands on either side of Axel’s head and smirked. “I think I like being over top of you.”

He could see in the edge of his vision Axel’s chest rising and falling as Axel’s mouth hung halfway open. His hands glided up Roxas’ thighs and gripped his hips. “Yeah, I like this, too.” He smirked wickedly again. “Probably a good thing you’re so short or looking up at you would get overwhelming.”

Roxas laughed and cupped Axel’s cheek with one hand. “Remember when you used to be so nervous around me?” With a quiet laugh, he leaned down to kiss Axel again, slow and hungry. He shuddered softly feeling one of Axel’s hands slide softly up his back to rest between his shoulder blades. His entire body flooded with heat. Pressing his hand against the back of Axel’s head, Roxas touched their tongues against each other before pulling back to gasp in a breath.

Axel was flushed and breathing hard, his hand firmly rubbing Roxas’ back. “In the drawer next to the bed there’s condoms and lube,” he whispered, voice husky with need.

Nodding, Roxas lingered to share another deep kiss before crawling off, reaching for the bedside table drawer and fumbling inside until he found a square foil pack and a bottle of lube. Getting back on top of Axel, he paused to kiss him again. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

Axel moaned as he cupped Roxas’ cheek. “Fuck, yes,” he breathed before lifting his head to kiss Roxas back.

Letting go of the condom and bottle, Roxas fumbled to grab his underwear and push it down, and Axel hastily followed his lead. Roxas broke the kiss to pull his underwear off his feet and toss them onto the floor, and as he looked back, Axel sat up, frowning suddenly as he kicked and yanked at his boxers, twisted around one ankle. Roxas had to laugh as Axel freed himself and threw his underwear across the room.

Sighing then laughing as well, Axel threw his arms around Roxas’ shoulders to pull him close. “Don’t laugh at me, just touch me.”

Putting a hand on Axel’s waist, Roxas kissed him again until his arms relaxed around Roxas’ shoulders. Roxas slid his hand up to Axel’s chest and pushed him back onto the bed so he could look down at his body. A groan escaping him, Roxas trailed his hand back down Axel’s body, staring at his stiff cock laying against his stomach. “You’re so fucking hot,” he whispered, mesmerized by the lean shapes of Axel’s musculature flowing across his body and the patch of dark hair at his groin and the subtle arch of his erection. “Fuck,” he muttered, gently pushing Axel’s thighs open and moving to sit between them.

As Roxas reached to pick up the lube again, Axel put his hands back on Roxas’ waist. “Speak for yourself.” He bit his lip, eyes sweeping up and down Roxas’ body. His hands slid to Roxas’ hips, squeezing his butt. “Am I dreaming?”

Roxas grinned, pumping some lube onto his fingers. “How should we check?”

He felt Axel’s legs tense slightly on either side of him, slightly lifting and angling his hips. “Fuck me,” he breathed.

Moaning softly, Roxas licked then bit his lip, putting one hand on Axel’s warm thigh and finding the edge of his entrance with his slick fingers. He heard Axel’s breath hitch and lingered stroking Axel for a minute before slowly pushing his finger in.

Axel groaned, squeezing Roxas’ hips again. “God, I want to feel you so bad.”

Groaning in response, Roxas started slowly to thrust his finger as he pushed himself up and reached his other hand towards Axel. Axel released Roxas’ hips to push himself up on his elbows so Roxas could hold the back of his head and lean in to kiss him again. He felt Axel moaning, and he uncontrollably moaned back. His body trembled as his skin burned and ached to hold Axel and feel him and make him come undone.

Axel gently pushed his face away, and they panted in unison before Axel smiled, eyes heavy but bright with lust. “I’m ready. I want you.”

Roxas moaned and nodded and withdrew his finger. As soon as he did, Axel turned to grab the condom, ripping it open, reaching down to gently squeeze the base of Roxas’ cock. Roxas groaned, hand tightening in Axel’s hair as Axel slowly stroked his cock before placing the condom against the tip. Looking down, Roxas watched Axel slowly roll it down his shaft, squeezing, and he had to groan loudly. Axel fumbled to find the lube and squirted some into his palm before continuing to stroke Roxas, faster, then stopping to rub over the head.

“Ah, fuck,” Roxas breathed, hips arching, then grinned at Axel. “God, you feel good.”

Axel grinned back then let go, laying down and lifting his hips slightly. His chest heaved, his face flushed red. “Please, Roxas, fuck me,” he whispered, hands tense against the bed.

Gripping Axel’s hips, Roxas moved forward and positioned himself. His eyes fell closed and a sigh of pleasure slipped from him as he felt Axel’s heat all around him. “Fuck,” he groaned under his breath. “You feel so good.”

Breathing hard, Axel grabbed Roxas’ hips again and squeezed, urging him deeper. “Ah, so do you. Please...”

Keeping one hand on Axel’s hip, Roxas leaned over again to kiss him as he eased into a slow, deep pace. Axel moaned against his lips, fondling Roxas’ ass, squeezing in time with each thrust. “Roxas,” he mumbled.

Roxas kissed him harder as he adjusted his stance a bit before increasing his speed. Axel moaned into his mouth, and he wished he could just melt into the heat and sensations. He moved his hand from Axel’s hips to find his cock, stroking with his thrusts.

“Axel,” he moaned before Axel thrust his tongue into his mouth, and he unthinkingly did the same, hips moving faster, harder. He felt the Axel’s blunt nails pressing into his skin and the slickness of precum under his hand. He didn’t know when Axel’s long legs had wrapped around him, keeping him close.

They broke the kiss to breathe, moans growing louder between them. “Axel! Axel!” Roxas panted, and Axel trembled under him.

“Yes!” Axel cried in response. “Say my name! Please!”

Even lost in lust, Roxas uttered a laugh as he grinned. “Ah, Axel, you feel so good!” Axel’s head fell back against the bed as his chest heaved. “Axel... Ah, Axel!”

“Yes!” Axel hissed, spine arching, pushing their bodies closer. “Fuck, I’m close!”

Panting, Roxas ached to kiss him again, but his face was too far away, so instead he lowered himself to kiss at Axel’s chest again, grazing with his teeth. His hips bucked, and his hand and Axel’s cock were pressed between their bodies, so he gently squeezed and rubbed his thumb around the tip.

A whimper came from Axel before he gasped, “Roxas!” He gave a deep groan Roxas could feel, then Roxas felt him cum, hips and cock twitching in spasms as he breathlessly moaned.

Axel lifted his head again and put a hand on Roxas’ cheek to raise his face and kiss him hungrily. Roxas’ eyes unwittingly closed again as he moaned with abandon, thighs tensing, feeling heat building inside him until, with a gasp, releasing. Both hands squeezed Axel’s hips, pushing and rocking him slightly as he moaned and mumbled wordlessly into Axel’s mouth.

When the pulsing waves of orgasm subsided, his muscles unclenched, but he couldn’t move away from Axel’s kiss, wanted it to keep going until they just fell asleep entangled together.

They parted with gasps, and Roxas managed to open his eyes again as Axel’s hands fell off his body. With some mental effort, he reached down to hold the condom and pulled out. His hands felt clumsy as he struggled to pull it off, then, as soon as he did, Axel’s hands were back on him, pulling him close again, bringing him into another kiss.

Eyes half-lidded and a blissful smile on his face, Axel put one hand on the back of Roxas’ head and let the other rest against his back. “I can’t even tell you how happy I am right now,” he whispered.

Chest swelling with joy, Roxas snuggled closer and wrapped his arms securely around Axel’s waist. “You don’t have to tell me; your body did plenty of talking.”

Axel laughed, gave him another kiss, then sighed, staring into Roxas’ eyes as his thumb softly stroked Roxas’ cheek. “I love you.”

Roxas’ mouth curled up into an uncontrollable smile. “I can tolerate you,” he teased, and Axel burst out laughing.

With a sigh, they kissed again.

Then, a strident beeping rang out through the apartment, making them both jump.

“Shit!” Axel sprang to his feet, wide-eyed. He stayed where he stood for a moment, though, then looked back at Roxas with an uncomfortable smile. “How do you feel about takeout for dinner?”

He only waited long enough for Roxas to nod as he laughed before hurrying out of the room. Still laughing, Roxas picked up the used condom and its wrapper and got out of the bed to find a garbage can.

-

Roxas leaned across Axel’s kitchen table, his hand laying half on top of Axel’s.

“I’m getting as much information as I can without being suspicious, but he hasn’t moved since I last told you,” Axel explained, looking down at his own notes which were far shorter than before.

Roxas sighed softly and cocked his head then shrugged. “I mean, if he’s not doing anything, there’s not much we can do.” As Axel grimly nodded agreement, Roxas heaved another sigh and leaned back in the chair. “It’s not really worth risking telling anyone yet, is it?”

Axel cringed a bit. “Considering my ass is on the line, no it’s not.”

Unable to help it, Roxas grinned. “And protecting your ass so I can have it all to myself has become my top priority.”

At last, Axel relaxed and laughed, looking at their hands laying together on the table. He turned his to curl around Roxas’, his lean fingers gently stroking the back of Roxas’ hand. “Well, when we’re finally able to nail him, I’m going to have to make sure to thank him for giving me the push to rat him out.”

Roxas squeezed Axel’s hand and smiled. “Hm, I’d rather not thank him for anything, except maybe being stupid enough to except so much loyalty from such disreputable people.” He looked up to Axel’s eyes. “If you’re going to out yourself as a traitor when he’s arrested again, does that mean you’re going to flip sides completely?

Axel shrugged. “Won’t have much choice. You think I can keep myself out of prison without his help? Pretty sure my hero boyfriend isn’t going to bail me out if I start breaking the law on my own.”

“No, he won’t.” Smiling, Roxas turned towards him more. “It’ll be nice to be able to introduce you to my friends properly.” Mind straying down that line of thought, he cringed. “Even if they’re definitely going to give me hell for this whole thing.”

Axel laughed and moved closer, cupping Roxas’ jaw in his free hand. “You think they’ll accept such a bad boy?”

Laughing, Roxas shrugged and leaned into Axel’s hand. “We’ve all had our bad times. Just as long as you’re not an ass towards them, they’ll come around.”

“Hm. That’s a little scary. I’m not even sure how to live an honest life.”

“I’ll help you figure it out.” Draping his arm over Axel’s shoulder and pressing his hand against his back, Roxas pulled Axel close to give him a long, slow kiss. Then he smirked. “Red Phoenix, though, is going to need some serious reforming. I’m not going to work alongside a jackass.”

Blushing and laughing, Axel shrugged and hunched his shoulders. Roxas kissed him again. Axel laughed again as he looked down for a moment then looked back at Roxas with a raised eyebrow. “He’s not going to start trying to flirt with anyone other than Tempest, I can promise that.”

“Better not.” Roxas smirked. “But I won’t have him being a distraction at important moments anymore. I’m going to have to teach him how to keep those naughty comments of his to the bedroom so at least he can follow through.”

Though red-faced, Axel grinned. “I definitely think that can happen.”

“Good.” Smirk easing into a smile, Roxas gently stroked the soft hair that laid against the back of Axel’s neck. He knew the two of them would have to enjoy the thrill of keeping their secrets for however long this would last. With luck, Xehanort would decide what violent spectacle he wanted soon so Roxas could tell the others and they could work together to get him imprisoned again, and at last he and Axel could go public with their relationship. It was up to Xehanort how long it would take, but, for now, Roxas and Axel would make the best of what they had.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure it's obvious that this story is far from complete lol Unfortunately, for the sake of a strict deadline and not turning this into a 50k oneshot, I had to cut down some ideas and leave an open ending, but I hope my recipient still likes it! ^^  
> Maybe, (MAYBE), if there's some demand for it... I mean, maybe I can keep this thing going once I've got other things off my plate? Maybe. Ask nicely. XD


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